(a) Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a light unit and a driving method of the light unit, and include a backlight unit for a liquid crystal display and a driving method of the backlight unit.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Recently, the demand for a flat panel display with improved performance and with reduced size and weight has been substantially increased.
A liquid crystal display (“LCD”), which is one of the most widely used types of the flat panel display, has characteristics such as small size, light weight and low power consumption, for example. Accordingly, the LCD is typically used for information processing devices including a display part.
In general, the LCD applies different potentials to a pixel electrode and a common electrode while injecting a liquid crystal material between an upper substrate including the common electrode and a color filter, and a lower substrate including a thin film transistor and the pixel electrode. Accordingly, the LCD generates electric fields and changes alignment of liquid crystal molecules to control transmittance of light, thereby displaying images.
A liquid crystal panel of the LCD is a light receiving element which is not self-emitted, such that a backlight unit for supplying the light to the liquid crystal panel is provided below the liquid crystal panel. The backlight unit includes a lamp, a light guide plate, a reflective sheet and optical sheets, for example. The lamp generates white light having relative small heat value and being close to natural light and uses a cold cathode ray tube type lamp having long lifespan or a light emitting diode (“LED”) type lamp using the LED having improved color reproducibility and low power consumption.
In the case of the LED type lamp and the cold cathode ray tube type lamp, the lamp is turned on by high voltage, and the high voltage applied to the lamp is generated from a separate board to be transferred to the lamp. In the LED type lamp and the cold cathode ray tube type lamp, a worker may fasten the connector for connecting the board and the lamp to complete the light unit, and the worker may have an electric shock by high voltage flow during the connection process.